The wreckage of a house in the Holgate section of Long Beach Township in the aftermath of Sandy. / Robert Ward / Staff Photographer

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The eyesore of homes damaged by superstorm Sandy might not have be tolerated for much longer.

An executive order signed Friday by Gov. Chris Christie gives the state Department of Community Affairs the authority to raze uninhabited buildings damaged by the storm that the agency deems as unsafe.

The Unsafe Structure Demolition Program will use $15 million in federal Community Development Block Grant money to identify and demolish the structures and remove the debris.

To read more stories about the Jersey Shore since superstorm Sandy, see the Road to Recovery.

The program is welcome news in Keansburg, where more than a dozen property owners were interested in razing their homes in 2013 using a federal program. But they were unable to do so because the required paperwork was not submitted and approved in time.

“If they have more money to tear down houses, we’ll be more than happy to take them up on it,” said Raymond O’Hare, Keansburg’s borough manager.

While the goal of the program is to streamline the demolition process for structures, there might be some owners who do not wish to see their homes razed. Some of them might wish to repair the properties but have not been able to do so for various reasons, while others might not deem the damage caused by Sandy to be sufficient to knock down the structures.

“This is still America,” said George Kasimos of Stop FEMA Now, a residents organization that has been critical of how the recovery process has been carried out. “Anything can be fixed if you have the money and the desire to do so. People should not be denied that right.”

The executive order gives authority to DCA officials to go onto properties they suspect could need to be razed so they can make a determination and ultimately raze the structure.

The DCA must attempt to contact property owners in person or by mail, giving them 15 days to respond.

Property owners who do not wish for the demolition to occur can initiate an appeals process. If they do not respond in 15 days, the DCA would have the authority to move forward with the demolition.

Seaside Park Mayor Robert Matthies, Jr. said Friday the order will be put to good use in his borough, where there are dilapidated homes that have yet to come down.

“Any time you can get additional state services that they pay for, that’s a good thing,” Matthies said.

Athough Kasimos said he believes there is a danger that structures will be knocked down before their owners are contacted, the program’s mission is sound.

“If implemented correctly, this could be a good thing,” he said. “Unfortunately, the state does not have a good track record.”